Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s2.t13.5

v1.c7.s2.t13.5

"Buried under accumulation of rubbish", the temple was rediscovered during 1811-12 by Francis Buchanan. It was later excavated by Major Mead in 1863. The King of Myanmar also sent people to clean the site. In 1878, Dr Brajendra Lal Mitra published his work on the Temple of Bodhgaya. In 1879, A Cunningham found the site was still not satisfactorily excavated and restored. Finally in 1881, British engineer J D Beglar was entrusted with the task of the full restoration of the temple and its site. The excavated temple was, however, found in a very fragmentary condition. Beglar then restored the temple mostly using its 12th century stone model available in a museum in Kolkata.